Damon Would Consider Playing Kirk In 'Star Trek XI'

Although J.J. Abrams has repeatedly denied having any contact with the actor or his representatives and will not even confirm that the role will need recasting for Star Trek XI, Matt Damon said that he would be interested in playing a young Captain James T. Kirk.

"If the script was good, I'd do it," Damon told Sci Fi Wire. Damon, who was promoting his new film The Good Shepherd, said that he had heard the gossip that he might be considered for the role, stating, "I think J.J. Abrams or somebody said that at [a] press junket or something, and it got picked up." A few months ago, Damon told reporters that he had not been approached about the role (story).

No one besides William Shatner has played Kirk for Paramount, though several other actors have taken on the role in fan films and parodies such as Jim Carrey's take on Kirk in In Living Color.

Abrams will produce and co-write Star Trek XI and is said to be likely to direct it as well. Though Abrams has admitted that he has spoken to Shatner, he has refused to confirm that the movie will be set in the era before the original series.